It is the objective of the Smith County Fire Marshal to safely and efficiently recover
and return stray animals to the rightful owner through a diligent search, and to
provide the most effective means of transportation, impoundment, advertisement and
sale of such animals when ownership cannot be determined.

Stray Animal (Dog)-
Animal means any mammal, domesticated or wild and The Fire Marshal's department's Animal
Control Authority, as part of the Northeast Texas Public Health District, defines
a stray animal as a 'Dog' or a member of the canine family.

Estray Animal (Livestock)-
Texas livestock laws define an estray as any valuable domestic animal such as a
horse, mule, hog, sheep, goat, cattle, exotic livestock, or exotic fowl that has
strayed from it's owner. Texas livestock laws require the Sheriff to pick up any
estray animal reported to the Fire Marshal's Office, regardless of who reports it.

When a report is received by a dispatcher, he/she shall obtain as much information
as possible from the reporting person about the animal's location and possible owner,
then dispatch an animal control unit.

If a danger to the public is determined, a patrol unit will be
dispatched if an animal control unit is not immediately available. The first responder
will then make a diligent search to determine the owner of the stray. If they are
unable to locate the owner, the stray will be transported to the designated Smith
County facility, which may be different if the stray is a dog or if it is livestock.